Record sheep prices can't save saleyard despite $1 lease offer - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Trevor Bassset sold the last pen of sheep at the sale. (ABC News: Emily Doak)

A large crowd gathered for the final sheep sale at Jerilderie.

A new record of $524 per head was set at the sale.

Murrumbidgee Council will decommission the saleyards because of falling livestock numbers and rising maintenance costs.

After almost 60 years counting sheep, you might think 83-year-old Tom Todd would be tired of it.

Merino industry stalwart Ross Wells and Tom Todd catch up at the sale. (ABC News: Emily Doak)

Now retired, Mr Todd worked at saleyards across the sheep country of the Riverina and has seen the number of sheep decline due to fluctuations in the wool industry and a move to online sales.

A casualty of this is the Jerilderie saleyard, which will be decommissioned after the Murrumbidgee Council failed to find anyone to take over management.

The 20-year lease was offered for just $1 per year, on the condition the new lessee would commit to upgrade the facility to modern safety and animal welfare standards.

Tom Todd penned and counted sheep for more than 40 years before retiring this year. (ABC News: Emily Doak)

The council agreed to keep the yards open for one final commemorative sale on October 2 where 10,000 sheep were penned.

Livestock agent Trevor Besset said selling the last ever pen of sheep at Jerilderie was an emotional moment.

"We've gone off with a bang and everybody should be proud of themselves," he said.

"The buyers keep coming back knowing the quality of the sheep that they're getting out of the district."

Mr Todd was amongst the hundreds of people at the final sale.

The final sheep sale at Jerilderie saw 10,000 sheep penned. (ABC News: Emily Doak)

Mr Todd has fond memories of long days working in the Jerilderie yards and the celebrations that followed.

"We managed to finish by dark and get to bed by midnight, as a rule, but I have known blokes to still be in their clothes from the day before at 6 in the morning," he said.

"They were good days. The job was still done the next day and there was always a smile on their face."

Georgia Brydon has been working as a trainee agent for about two years. (ABC News: Emily Doak)

At the other end of the career spectrum, trainee livestock agent Georgia Brydon is finding her feet counting sheep in the saleyards.

""I just fell in love with the saleyards and the sheep work," she said.

A large crowd attended the final sheep sale. (ABC News: Emily Doak)

The Stonnill family sold 2,000 sheep last week, walking them 20 kilometres from their property near Urana to the saleyards.

"We took a couple of days to get them here," Harry Stonnill said. 

"It's a bit of fun and quite social, people stop on the road and I think it's good for the sheep too."

Harry Stonnill was pleased to be able to bring son Ted to the saleyards for the final time. (ABC News: Emily Doak)

Mr Stonnill said the Jerilderie sales have been part of his life since childhood.

Tess Kernaghan said the sheep sale at Jerilderie was an annual event to catch up with friends. (ABC News: Emily Doak)

Tess Kernaghan returned to Jerilderie for the sheep sale to mark the milestone.

"I don't think you can beat the physical aspect of coming here, seeing the stock that you want to buy and meeting the people that are growing them," she said.

The sale set a new Riverina Store Sheep Sale record of $524 per head for merino ewes from Kate and Craig Smith of Innesvale at Oaklands.

Strong livestock prices at other store sheep sales this year have been underpinned by a shrinking national sheep flock, currently 67.1 million head, down 21 per cent from 85.7 million two decades ago.

In its heyday more than 40,000 sheep would be yarded at Jerilderie. (ABC News: Emily Doak)

Jerilderie is not the only town to see its council-run saleyard closed in recent years.

The last sheep sale was held at Cootamundra on the south west slopes in 2024 and saleyards closed in Narrabri and Moree in 2022.

On the North Coast, the Clarence Valley Council has been considering the future management of the Grafton saleyards, establishing a working group to manage the struggling asset.